Anniversary Of 19th Amendment Focus Of Special Event at Enfield H.S.

ENFIELD, CT — On Aug. 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, finally giving women the right to vote. Just over a century later, after several postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic, a special free program at Enfield High School, open to the public, will commemorate the historic occasion, with a student-led panel discussion featuring five prominent area women.

Hosted by the Enfield High School Youth Vote Committee, a program entitled The 19th Amendment and Its Legacy: 100+ Years Ago . . . 100+ Years to Go is slated for Wednesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium. Its purpose is to celebrate the legacy of the women’s suffrage movement and the ratification of the amendment, as well as to examine the advancements and challenges relating to women’s rights over the past century-plus.

The full text of the amendment is:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Panelists will be Dr. Susan Devine, an optometrist and Enfield High School graduate; State Representative Carol Hall; NBC Connecticut News anchor and investigative reporter Shannon Miller; Attorney Brooke A. Goff; and Enfield Loaves and Fishes executive director Maya Nicole Matthews.

Also featured will be the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Rise Up Sisters exhibit, chronicling the diverse group of Connecticut women who were instrumental in the women’s suffrage movement.

Anyone with questions may contact Sean Patrick Crane, scrane@enfieldschools.org; Anthony Allegro, aallegro@enfieldschools.org; or Mr. Joel Senez, jsenez@enfieldschools.org.